346 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. II. No. 37. 



to 65| inches; the middle-sized group individ- 

 uals measuring 65 and 66 inches, the tall gi-oup 

 individuals of from 67 to 69.5 inches. In ar- 

 ranging such a table either the total material 

 must be utilized or a certain portion selected at 

 random, and the limits which are originally se- 

 lected must be adhered to most rigidly. There- 

 fore it is not admissible to include in these ta- 

 bles individuals whose measurements at 16 years 

 are not given but whose later development is sim- 

 ilar to that of other boj's of the class. The devia- 

 tions of these three tables which are given at the 

 foot of the columns have been miscalculated. 



It is very curious that although the paragraphs 

 discussed here show that the theory of percen- 

 tile grades as applied to the study of growth 

 cannot be held any longer, nevertheless the 

 whole valuable material is presented in this 

 form so that it is all but useless for the purpose 

 of further investigations. The very conclusions 

 which the author draws from his study of indi- 

 vidual records prove that all the tables (XXIX. 

 to XLVIII.) which contain the annual increases 

 for the different percentile grades have no bio- 

 logical significance whatever and ought to have 

 been omitted. 



Dr. Beyer's investigations show that it is 

 quite indispensable to publish the original rec- 

 ords of each individual as the only means of 

 really furthering our knowledge of the laws of 

 growth. Only on such tables can future study 

 be founded, and if there is to be a wholesome 

 advance in the science of anthropometry such 

 tables must be accessible to all. We hope that 

 the author may find an opportunity of extend- 

 ing the brief abstracts of such individual records 

 which are printed in tables XIV. to XVI. and 

 give us the whole valuable material which would 

 represent the most important contribution to 

 the study of growth made for a long time. 



Franz Boas. 



Untersuchungen iiber die Stdrkekorner ; Wesen und 

 Lebensgeachichte der Starkekorner der hoheren 

 Pflanzen. Von Arthur Meyer, Professor 

 der Botanik an der Universitat Marburg. 

 Mit neun Tafeln und 99 in den Text gedriick- 

 ten Abbildungen. 

 As the title suggests, this work contains an 



exhaustive treatment of the subject. Its princi- 

 pal interest lies in the fact that the manner 

 of origin and growth of the starch grain has 

 been for many years a subject of patient inves- 

 tigation, and different theories respecting the 

 unit of organized structures have been based on 

 the facts thus obtained. 



The work is divided into five parts. The 

 first treats of the chemical nature of the starch 

 grain, its relation to the action of the ferment 

 diastase ; the second, of the physical character 

 of the grain ; the third, of its biology; the fourth 

 consists of biological monographs of the starch 

 grains of various plants ; the fifth is a short dis- 

 cussion of the relation of the starch grain to the 

 living protoplast. 



In order to make clear the conclusions reached 

 by the author in the first part, it will be neces- 

 sary to explain that Naegeli was the first to con- 

 struct a theory concerning the chemical nature of 

 the starch grain, its manner of origin and subse- 

 quent growth. Since his book was written many 

 facts have come to light, which have invali- 

 dated some of his conclusions. His work, how- 

 ever, forms the basis of all subsequent investiga- 

 tions. He considered the grain made up of two 

 substances which he named starch cellulose and 

 granulose. The latter he thought contained 

 the essential principles of starch, and is that 

 part which is dissolved by the action of saliva 

 on certain acids ; the former he supposed dif- 

 fered but little from the substance composing 

 the principal part of the vegetable cell wall, or 

 cellulose ; this starch cellulose forms the skele- 

 ton or framework left after the grain has been 

 treated with saliva or acids as before described. 

 Later investigators, among whom is Walter 

 Naegeli, claim that the intact grain consists of 

 one substance only, and that the skeleton is the 

 product of the chemical action of the acids on 

 this substance, and they name this product 

 amylodextrine. 



According to the results obtained by the au- 

 thor in a long series of experiments, he con- 

 cludes that the grain consi-sts of one substance, 

 amylose, which exists in two forms or modifica- 

 tions, and a slight amount of another substance, 

 amylodextrine, which is a dissociation product 

 of amylose. The two forms of this latter sub- 

 stance he names for convenience ,3- and a- 



